Preservation of food products



' humans.

Patented Apr. 24, 1951 PRESERVATION OF FOOD PRODUCTS Lloyd B. Jensen and Joseph E. Sherman, Chicago, Ill., assignors to Swift & Company, Chicago, 11].,

a corporation of Illinois No Drawing. Application December 8, 1948,

Serial No. 64,252

6 Claims.

1 The present invention relates to the preparati'on and use of an antibiotic substance, and more particularly .to the preparation and use of an antimicrobial substance of plant origin.

is to" provide a potent antibiotic substance of I plant origin.

A further object of the invention is to provide an antibiotic substance which is non-toxic to An additional object of the invention is to provide an antibiotic substance which is heat stable.

Another object of the invention is to employ anantibiotic substance having an origin in a vegetative plant as an effective preservative for food products.

In achieving the objects of the present invention, finely cut or ground bark of the root of the butternut tree is treated with a suitable nonaqueous organic solvent such as acetone.

7 carrier solvent, such as ethanol.

The following example illustrates a preferred embodiment of the invention, and the tests falling "thereunder illustrate the potency of the material .obtained in accordance with the processes of the Example-$0 grams of the bark of the butternut root were finely ground. The ground bark was then placed in a flask and covered with acetone. The flask was held at room temperature for approximately 24 hours and shaken at inter-,- vals. The acetone layer containing the acetonesoluble constituents of the butternut bark was separated from the insoluble material by filtration, and the acetone was distilled off under vacuum at 42 C. The residue was taken up in ethyl alcohol (95 per cent) so that 1 ml. of the alcoholic extract contained the acetone soluble material in 5 grams of the original butternut bark.

In order to evaluate the effectiveness'of the antibiotic material in the alcohol solution obtained in accordance with the example, the following test was performed:

Serial dilutions of the extract were made'in 10 cc. broth tubes and the tubes inoculated with bacteria. Each 10 ml. broth tube contained be tween approximately 30,000 to 75,000 cells of a food poisoning strain of Staphylococcus aur eus, Clostrz'dium spo'rogenes, Bacillus nz'ger, Escherichz'a coZi, Salmonella typhimurium, and Pseudomona'fluorescens. The tubes were allowed to incubate at a temperature of 37 C. and inspected for bacterial growth at the end of l, 3, and 6 days. In Table I are tabulated the results obtained with the aforesaid bacteria. The minus signs in said table indicate no bacterial growth, and the positive signs indicate the presence of example. viable bacteria at the incubation periods specified.

Table I Incuba- Sal. Pseudo- Cl l S. B. Esch. Dllutlons of extract tlon, Typhlmom 5 cm days 'murz'um. Coll fluor. g nes 6 Y V e 1 1:20,000 g Control- 1+ 1+ 1+ 1+ 1+ 1+ The butternut bark antibiotic shows marked activity against certain gram positive bacteria although the data given in the above table indicate that the eifects of the said antibiotic vary in potency when tested against different organisms. Thus, the extract kills Staphylococcus, Bacillus m'ger, and Clostriclium sporoganes in dilutions of 1 to 1,000, and Salmonella typhimurium and Escherichia coli in dilutions as high as 1 to 100 for limited periods of time. The bactericidal properties of the extract, lethally effectivein the dilutions indicated for the various organisms,

were demonstrated by inoculating nutrient agar plates with 0.1 cc. of the aforesaid dilutions which had been allowed to incubate for days. After 5 days incubation of the inoculated plates no viable bacteria were observed as a result of the transfers.

Although acetone is the preferred primary solvent, we have found that other organic solvents are suitable as the extracting solvent. For example, dioxane, ethyl acetate, and methyl ethyl ketone may be used. We have also found a water extraction of the antibiotic material to be ineffective as an antibiotic because of the proteinaceous material dissolved therein.

The heat stability of the antibiotic material was determined by heating portions of the material to temperatures of 60 C., 90 C., and 99 C; for minutes and then inoculating with Staphylococcus aureus. After incubating the material at a temperature of approximately 75 F. for 7' days, the lethal potency was 1:1000 and the inhibition potency 112000.

It is obvious that many variations in the solvent-treating process may be advantageously employed. For example, since the antibiotic material isolated from butternut root is heat stable, solvent temperatures may range from room temperature to boiling temperature of the solvent, with consequent variations in extraction time. The higher the temperature, generally the less time is required for extraction. We have found it preferable to process the antibiotic substance contained in the butternut root by a two-stage solvent process involving first treating the substance with a. primary solvent which is substantially removed, and thenv taking up the resulting extract with another solvent so as to form a solution which is a convenient form of using the product. We have found that acetone is a very effective primary solvent in producing the antibiotic substance from the plant tissue. After evaporating 01f the acetone, the preferred solution is made with a carrier solvent such as ethanol, which may be consumed internally without harm. By using ethyl alcohol we also utilize its well-known properties, such as nontoxici-ty and ability to prevent contamination.

In the processing of food products: a serious problem is the preservation thereof, and although great strides have been made in improving the quality and keeping time of various food products by refrigeration, canning, curing, plant sanitation, etcz,v the problem of preservation of food requires the constant attention of the food processor to improve long-established methods of treating food and to devise new means of food control.

Food spoilage is due primarily to microbial action, and the pecies of microorganisms responsible for food deterioration are numerous. The sporing genera, Clostridium and Bacillus, for example, when contaminating food, causes food spoilage. Another seri'ous'concern of the food handler is food poisoning, which is often of an insidious nature because food products may be contaminated with one or more of the harmful bacteria referred to herein and yet appear organoleptically sound. Among the food poisoning bacteria, the most common food poisoner is Staphylococcus.

The antibacterial substance of the present invention may be used to retard or prevent microbial growth in various food products, all of which tend to harbor pathogenic organisms in varying degrees. The antibiotic material disclosed herein, therefore, may advantageously be employed, for example, in treating meat products, such as hams, sausages and canned meats; cream fillings for pastries, such as cream puffs, chocolate eclairs, custards, and the like; and canned vegetables to prevent swelling due to organisms, such as the genus Bacillus.

The invention will be more fully understood from the following description of methods of using the antibiotic substance.

As hereinbefore mentioned, we have found that the antibiotic reagent herein described is lethal to a number of microbes in a l to 1,000 dilution of the extract, the extract being of such strength that 1 ml. of the alcoholic solution thereof contained the acetone-soluble constituents in 5 grams of root. Therefore, the addition of 1 part of the solution to 1,000 parts of the conventional pickling solution will result in a meat product cured therewith which has a very marked increase in resistance to the development of pathogenic organisms.

The following is an example of a curing pickle stock, which may be used in a process for quickcuring hams when provided with antibiotic substance in the proportions outlined above; that is, the antibiotic substance is added in an amount such as to effect a l to 1,000 dilution of the antibiotic material of the arbitrary strength herein described (1 ml.=5 g. of root).

To 100 gallons of a 90 salometer solution there are added:

7 lbs. sodium nitrate 10 oz. sodium nitrite 20 lbs. sugar 378.5 cc. antibiotic solution Luncheon meat was cured according to conventional methods in which the antibiotic substance was .present in a l to 1,000 dilution. The meat product was placed in six G-pound cans and retorted to an inside temperature of 155 F. and incubated at 99 F. After 30 days of incubation no swelling of the cans could be observed. The

' control cans swelled in one week.

A further example of the utility of the antibiotic material is their use in a cream filling for various pastries. To determine the effectiveness, a standard cream filling used in eclairs was inoculated with a bacterial solution containing 100,000 living Staphylococcus aureus 8-1 per 100 ml. and the filling incubated at a temperature between 75 F. and F. The results of the tests are given in Table II.

The foregoing tests indicate that the antibiotic preparation exerts a pronounced inhibiting action against the Staphylococcus aureus in cream fillings.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the invention as hereinbefore set forth may be made without department from the spirit and scope thereof, and therefore only such limitations should be imposed as are indicated in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In the process of treating food products, the step of adding to a food product a small amount of alcoholic solution of antibiotic substance derived from the tree Juglans cinerea to preserve said food product against pathogenic bacteria responsible for food poisoning and spoilage.

2. In the process of quick-curing meats, Wherein a pickling solution is injected into said meat,

the step of adding to said pickling solution a small amount of the antibiotic substance derived from the root of the tree Jztglans cinerea by treatment with an non-aqueous organic solvent whereby the growth of pathogenic bacteria responsible for food spoilage and poisoning in the meat is substantially retarded.

3. In the process of preparing pastries containing fillings subject to spoilage by pathogenic bacteria, the step of adding to the said fillings a small amount of the antibiotic substance derived from g the root of the tree Juglans cinerca by treatment with a non-aqueous organic solvent whereby the growth of pathogenic bacteria in the said fillings is substantially retarded.

4. A meat pickle including a small amount of an antibiotic substance derived from the root of the tree Juglans cinerea. by treatment with a nonaqueous organic solvent.

5. A cream filling for pastries including a small amount of an antibiotic substan e derived from the root of the tree Jug/Zens cinerea, by treatment with a non-aqueous organic solvent.

6. In the process of treating food products, the step of adding to a food product a small amount of an antibiotic substance derived from the tree Juglans cinerea by treatment with a non-aqueous organic solvent to preserve said food product against pathogenic bacteria responsible for food poisoning and spoilage.

LLOYD B. JENSEN. JOSEPH E. SHERMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 469,850 Chesebrough Mar. 1, 1892 2,084,864 Paddock June 22, 1937 2,098,110 Schertz et al Nov. 2, 1937 2,117,478 Hall May 17, 1938 2,180,750 Urbain Nov. 21, 1939 OTHER REFERENCES Nature, May 13, 1944, vol. 153, page 598, article entitled Antibacterial Substances in Green Plants.

Chemical and Engineering News, September 1945, page 1622, article entitled Penicillin as a Preservativef,

The American Womans Cook Book 1945 by Ruth Berolzheimer, published by Consolidated Book Publishers, Chicago, page 475. 

1. IN THE PROCESS OF TREATING FOOD PRODUCTS, THE STEP OF ADDING TO A FOOD PRODUCT A SMALL AMOUNT OF ALCOHOLIC SOLUTION OF ANTIBIOTIC SUBSTANCE DERIVED FROM THE TREE JUGLANS CINEREA TO PRESERVE SAID FOOD PRODUCT AGAINST PATHOGENIC BACTERIA RESPONSIBLE FOR FOOD POISONING AND SPOILAGE. 